The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Theme Analysis Essay Example

“The struggle between being an individual and a member of a community is a constant struggle of life,” said Sherman Alexie. The novel we will be discussing is by Sherman Alexie, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.” In this book, there are a lot of themes but there is one that stands out to me. Searching for Identity, throughout this novel, you see the characters grow and find themselves, not just as individuals but as a community.

Doing something out of the norm can affect how your community views you. An example of this is when Arnold goes to Reardan, a new white school on the reservation. Because of this, it makes the other kids view him as a traitor. “They call me an apple because they think I’m red on the outside and white on the Inside”, Arnold said. That just goes to show how doing something different than the people around you can cause them to view you in a different light. Also, in the novel, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”, when Arnold shows up to Reardan he was different from the rest of the white community. Because of this Arnold got a lot of racist remarks and had had a hard time fitting in. Sherman Alexie says, "I think the world is a series of broken dams and floods and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats”. This relates to all the problems that Arnold has been faced with from society and how he uses his cartoons to escape reality. In my opinion, that is one of the things that make Arnold unique. 

High school is especially hard: forced conformity is often the basis for how individuals are viewed. Throughout the novel, Junior is rejected by society, treated as a

traitor to Rez and a stranger to Reardan. When Sherman Alexie says "Well, life is a constant struggle between being an individual and being a member of the community”, he is right. society imposes these strict social codes that often make people give up unique attributes. An example of this is when people at Reardan stereotype him. They view him as their stereotypical Indian mascot. That is all because he doesn't follow the social rules of the white community but rather the unspoken reservation rules that he lives his life by. In addition, Junior has long braids, big blocky glasses, and cheap clothing since he has to deal with poverty. But, this doesn’t make his friends view him in a negative light but rather adds to the stereotypical image that society gives him. 

In conclusion, The inner conflicts of being an individual rather than being a part of a community can cause a series of broken dams and floods. Standing out against your community or being different can change the perspective and attitudes of those who do not act out against the norm.